


Crash And Burn

by DGCatAniSiri



Series: Secrets-verse [5]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DGCatAniSiri/pseuds/DGCatAniSiri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things between Finn and Puck have remained tense, even as the school year winds down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crash And Burn

Most of the students at McKinley High were focused on the fast approaching summer break. Just a few weeks more and they’d be free for summer. Finn Hudson was no exception to this sensation. But he was also aware that the approaching vacation wasn’t what a certain set of students were focusing on. 

Finn would admit to not being the brightest kid in school. He knew that well enough. But he’d picked up on the fact that the others in Glee had a mission, given that Nationals was out of their reach. And that mission was to get him and Puck back together. It had taken a few tries, but Finn had figured out that they seemed to have made it their prerogative to make it so that they got back together. 

He liked that his friends cared enough about the two of them to genuinely attempt it, but he wished they would stop. He and Puck... Well, it just wasn’t going to be fixed. It couldn’t. Puck had shown that his first concern was for whatever Puck wanted, not... Finn. He hated it, but he couldn’t argue it. Not after everything that he’d done. Puck might have feelings for him, but in the end, everything else just came in second to Puckzilla.

Classes were a pain, though. He and Puck had several together. And more than a few times, there was group work that paired them together. It was awkward, to say the least. The worst part was that he couldn’t just turn off his feelings for Puck. He still loved Puck, still wanted to be with him... but he had it very firmly established for him that Puck wasn’t going to bring himself to stick to one person. He couldn’t let himself get involved with Puck again. That was just a one way ticket to a broken heart. 

The thing that made it difficult were the times when he’d see Puck in class or pass him in the halls or even see him glancing at him in Glee, and see Puck giving him these looks, the ones that said that he felt the same as Finn. He wanted it too... But Finn had demanded an answer to the question of how he felt, and Puck couldn’t say it. He needed a commitment from Puck, a promise that something like what had happened with Santana wouldn’t happen again. And that seemed unlikely to happen any time in the near future.

If ever.

So that was where they were at for now, neither of them speaking to each other, but there being an obvious sense of the both of them wanting to. Quinn seemed to be heavily interested in trying to find a way to make peace between them, saying that Miss Cochran wanted her involved in Beth’s life, along with Puck, and Quinn thought that Finn deserved to be a part of it too. She had moved into Mercedes’s home a while back, still debating returning to live with her mother, but, in her attempts at playing peacemaker, often came over to both boys’ homes, trying to get them to at least talk to each other in the course of their studying (which was, in its way, refreshing to actually spend time with either of them and genuinely study, not just make out). 

As she entered the Hudson home today, before heading to Finn’s room, she passed Carole, who was preparing to head to work. “Oh, Quinn! How are you doing?” Carole asked upon seeing the blonde ex-cheerleader.

“I’m good, Mrs. Hudson,” she replied, flashing a smile to the woman who’d so graciously housed her for several months. Her smile faltered as she looked towards the direction of Finn’s room, her mask slipping and the last handful of months of getting nowhere with either Finn or Puck showing on her face, the concern for both of the boys that she found herself still loving, even if not romantically anymore. “Mrs. Hudson... Do you think I’m wasting my time?” 

Not needing clarification, Mrs. Hudson hesitated for a moment, considering both of the boys in question. “I don’t know, honey. I think they both still love each other, but they’re just too stubborn to do much more than be angry at each other, for the time being, anyway.” She shook her head, having no idea what to do with her son at the moment – she couldn’t make him do something that he was determined not to, even if she knew him and knew that he wasn’t going to be happy unless he did it. “Keep trying. I really hope that he’ll come around, but he’s not going to do it on his own.”

The former cheerleader shook her head. “No, he’s not.” With that, she walked to Finn’s room and rapped on the door. “Finn?”

“Hey, Quinn,” Finn said as he opened it. Quinn considered it a minor mercy that he had actually managed to genuinely have out his school books this time. “I’m ready for study duty.”

They made it through the biology review before Quinn even tried broaching the subject of their mutual ex. Given that they had to do a report on _A Midsummer Night’s Dream,_ it seemed somewhat inevitable that Puck was going to come up in the conversation. 

“Shelby invited us to her housewarming,” she said, taking advantage of a lull in between soliloquies. Finn looked up in confusion, still needing a moment to disengage from Shakespeare. “Me, you, Puck, Rachel, her dads...” She was trying to slip Puck’s name in there without him noticing. It wasn’t her best attempt, but desperation did limit her options.

As she expected, Finn wasn’t particularly pleased by the mention of his estranged ex. “Quinn...”

“Finn. Look, I know you’re upset about what he did, that you’re pissed about him making out with Santana. You’re probably still angry with him for sleeping with me, too. But are you really going to just ignore him for the rest of your life? I know you. I know that you still have feelings for him, and they aren’t going to go away just because you don’t want to face them or him. You need to deal with this, be upfront and honest about it.” She surprised herself with the force of her statement, not having expected that she’d be this vocal and vehement about how he needed to get this aired out. She was, however, quite tired of the whole ordeal. Apparently, her emotions had decided that enough was enough. Not exactly difficult for her to be willing to argue.

She did, however, see the way that he flinched back from her words and she adopted a softer tone, changing tacks. “Finn, I know you still love him. And I know that he still loves you.” 

“Not enough.” Finn’s words were quiet, a broken declaration. She hadn’t heard his voice sound like that since... Actually, it hadn’t even been that bad when he’d learned that Puck was the father. 

Hearing that vulnerability, her anger receded and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “What is it, Finn? What happened?” He sounded too certain of it for it to not have been prompted by something.

“We... When we slashed the tires on Vocal Adrenaline’s cars... We almost... But he couldn’t... He wouldn’t...” As difficult as it was to understand, Quinn had over the years learned how to parse through the hesitations and verbal hiccups. He and Puck had almost come back together, but Puck hadn’t been able to tell Finn how he felt.

_Stubborn idiot..._ Although the thought was mostly directed at Puck, part of it was directed a Finn, and she didn’t particularly care to measure out what part went to which boy. Both of them had to know what the other wanted, and both knew how much they both mattered to each other. _But can they just come out and say it? Of course not. That’d be too easy..._

Quinn considered things for a long moment. There had to be something that could be done, though the big question was if there was anything that could be done by anyone other than Finn and Puck themselves. It might come down to locking them in a room together and seeing what they’d do – the last time that had happened, they’d found themselves having sex, so the chances were good that that particular idea would be a success. But trying that at this point would actually require them interacting. 

So she’d give reason a shot, at least at the moment. Sure, it probably wouldn’t work on a stubborn fool in love, but it was at least something that she could do. “Finn... Look, we both know that Puck is a stubborn idiot who wouldn’t admit to an emotion existing if it were gnawing on his precious mohawk. But he still feels them. And we both know how he feels about you.”

“But does it mean anything if he won’t say it? If he won’t... look me in the eye and actually say it? Isn’t that what love’s about? Being able to say those things you wouldn’t say to other people?”

Finn had her there. Part of love should be about lowering those walls. But she had been there – as had Finn – when Puck’s father had walked out on Puck, his mother, and his sister, when Noah had given way to Puck, and he’d decided that the best thing for him to do was to just not feel anything. And now, given how Quinn knew both of them well enough to tell this sort of thing, that attitude was only making things worse for the two of them. “Finn, Puck threw himself out of the closet for you. Wasn’t that a statement for you?”

“It said he wanted me. It didn’t... say he wanted to be with me.” Right before Quinn started to point out the hypocrisy of him not being able to say how he felt but still expected Puck to say it, he added, “It didn’t say he loved me.” There were the words. 

Beyond the difficulties of arguing with a stubborn fool like Finn, there was also the difficulty of arguing with him when he was right. Sure, Puck’s image had always been the badass ‘sex shark,’ going after anything with two legs and a skirt, but just trying to date Finn hadn’t been proof of his feelings – it’d proved he was listening to his hormones and his dick, since Finn had been willing to keep coming back to bed with him, but his heart? It took a lot to get to that part of Puck, if it even still was there.

As a result, the next hour passed with the subject of Puck completely dropped. She wasn’t going to say anything about him. At this point, really, there wasn’t anything that could be done to make things better for either of them. It was going to require one of them to take the first step. And, given both of them, that step was going to have to be one hell of a doozy.

As they finished their studying, the phone rang. Quinn picked it up while Finn had to deal with the arriving pizza.

Finn had just closed the door behind the pizza guy when she called him. Turning to her, he saw that her face had gone white. He set the pizza down and went to her. “Finn... It’s your mom. She...” 

***

Quinn was the one to call Puck – he had a car, he could get them up to the hospital, and he lived close by. The ride up was silent, the concern for Finn’s mother overriding everything that was going on between them. According to whoever had called them (Quinn had let their name slip away in her rush), it had been some idiot running a red light and hitting her car as she was turning. Finn had been in shock – his mother had been the one person who he could depend on to always be there. To have her mortality questioned like this...

For his part, Puck had, once Quinn had told him what she needed and why, hadn’t hesitated. He’d practically been at Finn’s before getting off the phone with her. He knew he shouldn’t have been, that, while he certainly couldn’t say no, he shouldn’t have been that quick, that... clingy about Finn, but... He hadn’t been able to help himself, and, in truth, hadn’t wanted to even try. Finn needed help, Puck would really drop everything and help him. 

When he’d arrived at the Hudson house, Finn and Quinn had jumped into his truck without saying a word, and he hadn’t supplied any either. The whole ride up to the hospital, he’d kept stealing looks at Finn, wanting to say or do something – ANYTHING – but he couldn’t think of what would help. For all he knew, given how he and Finn had left things outside Carmel High, Finn would have taken anything he’d said as a snide remark. So he was just as quiet as Finn. 

Under other, better circumstances, Quinn would have told them to get over themselves and clear the air. But all she could do right now was worry about Mrs. Hudson. 

When they got to the hospital, Finn and Quinn were recognized by one of the nurses who’d examined her during her pregnancy, Mrs. Hudson having regularly taken her to her doctor’s appointments, and they waved in without a word, Puck following. The nurse led them to a sitting area, saying that once there was word, she’d come back. It was at this point that Finn started to really let it sink in that his mother had had a brush with death.

“Is... Do you think she’ll be okay? Will she be like Artie, or... Do you think she’ll be like Sean, and-?”

“Finn. Finn, calm down.” They were the first words that Puck had uttered since he’d picked them up. “Your mom... She’s gonna be fine. She’s gonna...” Puck trailed off, not able to think of something to say that didn’t sound hollow. Instead, he placed a hand on Finn’s shoulder. It seemed to have a calming effect on him, and he sank back against Puck. Once there, it seemed like he had no intention of leaving Puck’s embrace. He didn’t seem conscious of it, but he seemed to be trying to curl up inside Puck.

Despite that, though, he seemed to remember something and surprised Quinn by looking to her. “Quinn... Could you call Mr. Hummel?” 

She nodded, understanding. “Of course.” Finn was Mrs. Hudson’s emergency contact, but Kurt’s father had become important to her over the last several months, and he deserved to be informed. She slipped out of the waiting area for some privacy.

With her out of the small waiting area, Finn finally seemed to register the position that he and Puck were in. He looked to Puck, the way he was leaning against him making Finn look up to him. “Puck...” He didn’t know if he was going to ask for an apology, give one of his own, or even just ask what he thought would happen to his mother. 

But Puck just shushed him. “Don’t worry about it, Finn. Not right now.” It was just a couple of sentences, but to Finn, it seemed to say a lot. He wasn’t there for any reason other than because Finn needed those closest to him right now. Not to try and convince Finn to take him back or even to apologize. Just because he knew that Finn needed him.

Finn began to wonder if he was willing to let actions speak louder than words.

Before he could say anything to that effect, footsteps approached them. They both turned to see a man in a white jacket standing there, clearly one of the doctors. 

“Finn Hudson?” he said, drawing his attention. Finn tried to nod while Puck motioned to him, confirming that the doctor had the right man. For a moment, Finn was afraid of what the doctor would say. Then he smiled. “While your mother was hurt pretty bad, I think her car got the worst of it.”

“So she’s...?”

“She’ll be fine. She’s got a minor concussion and a few bumps and bruises, as well as a couple fractured ribs, but she should be fine. Of course, she’ll have to stay here for a few days, maybe a week, but-”

Finn had stopped listening, instead breaking into tears of joy at the news that his mother was going to be okay. He leaned close to Puck, letting the tears fall on his chest. 

Puck indulged him, even going so far as to kiss his forehead in his relief for Finn and his mother.

***

It was several hours later when Puck brought Finn home. Burt and Kurt, after they’d confirmed for themselves that Carole Hudson was going to be fine, had taken Quinn back to Mercedes’s place. Burt had insisted that Finn also go home – it was a school night, and Carole was conscious enough to be able to pitch a fit if he missed a day of school because of her, an attitude that Burt agreed with. 

Without waiting to ask, Puck called his mom, letting her know that he was staying over at Finn’s for the night, popping some of the pizza that had gone cold in the microwave. He passed a plate over to Finn and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Despite how it had seemed like a breakthrough had been made between them at the hospital, Puck was keeping a respectable distance now. He and Finn sat in silence, the kind that, were Quinn still there, she’d feel compelled to knock their heads together, call them idiots, and tell them to just talk already.

Finally, the silence grew to be too much.

“Finn, I-”

“Look, Puck-”

Cliché managed. Try again?

Puck motioned for Finn to go first – his mom was in the hospital, this was Finn’s house, and, though he had still never said so out loud, he knew why and understood why Finn had broke things off. He had every right to go first.

Clearing his throat, Finn looked to him. “Look, Puck, I’ll... be fine. If you wanna go home...” Despite seeming to be trying to get rid of Puck, part of Finn didn’t want him to go. He didn’t want to be alone, and that taste of being with him again, those moments when Puck had been holding him, had kissed him... They’d been actions, and he wanted to say they’d been enough...

On another day, one where he hadn’t seen Finn, seen his boy, falling apart, Puck would have taken that as a cue to leave. But, as he looked Finn over, he recognized that it wasn’t that. It was anything but. “You want me to go?” he asked, unusually soft. 

For a long moment, Finn didn’t respond. Then he shook his head.

That was the sign Puck needed.

He seemed to slide across the sofa, and pulled Finn close again. Finn’s arms returned the gesture. Finn buried his face in the crook of Puck’s neck, savoring the embrace. He’d never thought he’d feel it again. 

And then, he heard two words in his ear. “I’m sorry.” Finn pulled back, looking both confused and on the verge of tears. Puck leaned against Finn, pressing their foreheads together. “I’m sorry, Finn. For everything. For Santana, for not... not trying to fix things, for... Hell, for everything.” 

They weren’t the exact words that Finn had been wanting to hear, that he’d thought would fix everything between them... And yet, they were the words that he needed to hear. 

His lips met Puck’s and they sank back against the couch, letting their actions speak louder than any words.


End file.
